Publication Date: March 1, 2024
A college student moves in with his elderly history professor and soon discovers her connections with a mysterious abduction, WWII Nazi collaborators, the assassin of Rasputin and an unorthodox Benedictine convent. The true story of trans pioneer who fiercely defied stereotypes and forged her own path through the world.
Reviewing a memoir poses a bit of a conundrum. The dilemma is finding a balance between critiquing the writing style and the portrayal of actual events.
Although initially presented via audiobook narrated by the author, the prelude quickly prompted a switch to the ebook. Babette: The Many Lives, Two Deaths and Double Kidnapping of Dr. Ellsworth details author Ross Eliot’s “unusual” relationship with his professor.
Set in Portland in 1998, Ross introduces himself as a 21-year-old living paycheck to paycheck but dreaming of going to college. He is drawn to political activism and music subcultures.
The “unusual” aspect occurs a few months later when he enrolls in Dr. Ellsworth’s history class. A random invitation to lunch morphs into an invitation for Ross to move in and serve as her chauffeur/errand boy/travel companion.
The catch? She’s a septuagenarian French transgender Nazi-sympathizing nun. While there is no doubt Dr. Ellsworth is eccentric, the depiction of her character is not favorable. She’s somewhat of a contradiction, leaving readers with a sense that she’s not reliable. Navigating her backstory to sift through fact and fiction is difficult. Her behavior is erratic, making a connection challenging.
The memoir is narrated in first person and focuses heavily on mini-tirades about books, music, and historical events. Each chapter begins with a quote or two, but the relevance isn’t established. The lack of cohesion creates a sense of frustration because things just don’t seem to make sense.
Too many questions, coupled with some horrific depictions such as the hot tub tissue paper incident, led to a rather unsatisfactory reading experience.
Babette: The Many Lives, Two Deaths and Double Kidnapping of Dr. Ellsworth poses an interesting premise, but got hung up in the minutiae.
Ross Eliot is an ex-commercial fisherman, best known as editor and publisher of the acclaimed underground ‘zine American Gun Culture Report from 2005-10 and writes the current leftist weblog Occupy the 2nd Amendment. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife plus far too many children and chickens.
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